Thread: Chertoff: Street Gangs a Threat to National Security

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Chertoff: Street Gangs a Threat to National Security
By Monisha Bansal
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
March 13, 2006

(CNSNews.com) - As U.S. immigration and homeland security officials celebrated what they call a success against transnational street gangs, some wonder how big an achievement that actually is.

"In much the same way as we are now connecting the dots in the war on terror, we are connecting the dots in the war on gangs," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, referring to the program known as Operation Community Shield.

"Operation Community Shield represents the first time the federal government has used immigration and customs authorities in a combined, national campaign against criminal street gangs in the United States," Chertoff said.

"Transnational street gangs pose a growing public safety threat to urban and rural communities throughout the United States. Their violence, sophistication and scope have reached intolerable levels," added Julie Myers, assistant secretary of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"There is no question that our communities are safer with individuals like these off our streets," Myers said.

The program was started in February 2005, after ICE identified the gang Mara Salvatrucha -- or MS-13 -- as "one of the largest and most violent street gangs in the country." ICE discovered that most members of MS-13 and other transnational gangs are in the U.S. illegally.

Marcy Forman, director of investigations for ICE, said 90 percent of gang members are foreign-born. She noted that under Operation Community Shield, it is easier for the government to deport gang members whom they know are here illegally.

"These gang members are some of the people who are shooting at our border patrol agents and committing acts of violence on both sides of the border, and that is, in and of itself, a very, very serious national security issue," said Chertoff.

"The doors of our country will remain open, but they will always be guarded," interjected Emilio Gonzalez, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Over the past year, 153 gang members have been sentenced under the program.

"That's all well and good, but how many more are there?" asked Mike Cutler, a retired special agent with the Immigration and Naturalization Service's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement task force.

"It is believed that there are more gang members today than there are sworn police officers. We have to look at this from the overall picture," Cutler told Cybercast News Service.

Cutler added that "sparse resources" are dedicated to the task of combating gang violence and illegal immigration. "We don't have enough people to do the job that so desperately needs to be done."

Quote:
"The doors of our country will remain open, but they will always be guarded," interjected Emilio Gonzalez, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
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UNACCEPTABLE!

Thanks, Jerf-off! I feel much safer now. NOT!!! Let's see.......if our borders were secured NOW, more illegal gang members wouldn't be hopscotching into the United States to join these gangs and the problem would get smaller and smaller as they are arrested and sent away. Hmmmm, doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure these things out. And just what accomplishment(s) was the Dept of Homeland (Un)Security patting themselves on the back about? Oh, that's right......connecting the dots!

Quote
"In much the same way as we are now connecting the dots in the war on terror, we are connecting the dots in the war on gangs," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, referring to the program known as Operation Community Shield.
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What a farce and an idiot. Will someone please FIRE this fool.!
Operation Community Shield wont work, unless we DEPORT these gang members.
We are going to be a nation of lawlessness unless these do-nothing politicians step up to the plate and do something to stop illegals from entering the country. And I dont mean JUST PICK AND CHOOSE LIKE CHERTOFF DOES. I MEAN ALL ILLEGAL ALIENS.

Yeah we are going to end catch and release, blah, blah, blah.

"The doors of our country will remain open, but they will always be guarded," interjected Emilio Gonzalez, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Gee, I wonder when they plan to start guarding them?